SAINT PAUL - This evening, the Minnesota House is expected to approve the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act. After the Republican-led Senate refused to include insulin affordability legislation in the final hours of the 2019 Legislative Session, House DFLers continued their efforts to provide affordable and emergency insulin to Minnesota’s diabetics, holding a series of town halls in communities across the state and bipartisan informational hearings during the legislative interim. This is a renewed version of Alec’s bill, updated through the events of the interim, advocate input, and bipartisan negotiations
“High insulin costs put people’s lives in danger, and it’s unacceptable that so many diabetics are forced to ration their insulin if they can’t afford to refill their prescription,” said Rep. Julie Sandstede (DFL Hibbing). “Drug makers and pharmacy benefit manager middlemen have entirely too much control over people’s lives. The Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act is an overdue solution to help ensure people can access the insulin they depend on and for a price they can afford. It’s also unacceptable that Senate Republicans have elected to drag their feet on a solution to this issue. I know how important insulin affordability is to so many Minnesotans, and I urge you to continue to share this urgency with Senate leadership.”
The Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act creates a statewide insulin assistance program to help Minnesotans who struggle to afford the insulin they desperately need. Compromises in the updated bill include the state bearing the responsibility of the program’s set-up costs, but the House version still maintains that the bulk of the costs be paid by insulin manufacturers, the top three of which control over 90 percent of the market and recorded $80 billion in revenue in the last 12 months.
The Senate’s companion bill, SF 3164, has yet to receive a hearing.